UNEXPECTED DELIGHTS IN ITALY
BEST VIEW IN ITALY
High atop the steep mountain above "New Town" Monterosso is a plot of land with majestic views of the Ligurian Sea. It is a cemetery whose steps and paths, through cherry and olive groves, lead you to vistas of both the mountains and the sea. It's a special place, serene and contemplative, especially if you go early in the morning and you're the only one there.
CAUGHT IN THE RAIN IN VENICE
From what I understand, rain is not unusual in Venice. It caught us off guard however. We just finished dining on the Grand Canal and were doing a bit of shopping, when it became apparent that we were going to get soaked. Deb ran into a shop and came out with these yellow ponchos for us. We thought we looked stylish.
Undeterred, Deb, Kathleen, Peg and I named ourselves the "Limoncello Girls", and kept on shopping and sightseeing. A little rain never hurt anyone... |
RICK STEVES' TOURS ARE EVERYWHERE IN ROME
After a late afternoon visit to the Pantheon, we decided to check out a restaurant recommended by our Rick Steves' guidebook, Miscellanea. Luckily, we ran into Mike and Teresa who happened to have a table for four. After crashing their party, and having some delicious food and wine, we started talking to the people at the next table. Wouldn't you know they were on a Rick Steves' tour too! Theirs was being led by Robin, with special Rome guide, Francesca, who we recognized from the TV show. Since most of us had our guidebooks with us, we were treated to a free glass of fragoline, a strawberry wine. This drink is called "sexy wine" and judging by how red our noses were, it was working on Teresa and me!